PlayStation 5 production problems due to chip shortage for months to come

Sony expects the shortage of new PlayStation 5 game console to persist for months due to a global shortage of semiconductors. Sony CEO Jim Ryan said to the Financial Times it is to be expected that the number of deliveries “to reasonable numbers” will only improve in the second half of this year.

He cannot guarantee that there are enough consoles will be available in the coming Christmas period. “It will get a little better every month,” said Ryan. “Production speed will increase during the year, so we expect reasonable numbers in the second half of 2021.”

Delivery problems since the beginning

Manufacturer Sony hoped to sell more new game computers in the first year than its predecessor, the PlayStation 4, in the first year. Almost 15 million of them were sold. PlayStation 5 consoles sold more than 4.5 million copies in November and December last year. Interest in the new console was much greater, however due to delivery problems Sony was unable to meet the demand.

The demand for game computers is high due to the corona pandemic. Many people sit at home and gaming becomes like a good pastime seen. Competitor Nintendo sold about 26 million copies of the Switch last year. Microsoft also released a new console, the Xbox Series X / S. 2.8 million of these were sold in November and December.

It global chip shortage not only affects Sony. The corona pandemic has increased the demand for electronics. The car industry is particularly affected by the shortage. But smartphone manufacturers are also suffering from the high demand for chips.

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